Whisper
by Random1377
Summary: Darkfiction. A story about death, vengence, and putting the wrong things right... Rating changed to M for one scene of intense, graphic violence and some language.


Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by Studio Gainax animation, not me. Should they or anyone affiliated with them, request it, I will remove all traces of this story from the web. Due to one scene of intense, graphic violence, this story has been rated NC-17.Thank you.

Whisper

By Random1377

Shinji Ikari sighed as he reached the fourth floor of the mostly vacant apartment building.

"This place is empty," he mumbled to himself, "why doesn't she move to a lower floor?"

He looked at the small bundle of papers in his hand, wondering if she would even read them. Based on the large pile of unread mail he had seen crammed into the young girl's mail slot last time he had been there, he seriously doubted it.

"I hope she's dressed this time," he said quietly, blushing as he recalled the last time he had visited… and half-hoping she wouldn't be.

About the last thing he expected to see when he rounded the corner to her hallway was his fellow pilot, Rei Ayanami, lying in the middle of the hall.

"Ayanami?" he said tentatively, "_Ayanami!!_"

He ran towards her, his mind going over all the myriad possible things that could have happened to her. She could have been attacked… she could have fallen and knocked herself unconscious… she could have had some sort of fainting spell… she could have…

"Ayanami… Rei… are you alright?" he gasped, coming to a halt and dropping to his knees beside her still form.

"Yes," the blue-haired girl replied calmly.

Shinji's heart leap into his throat –Ohthankgod- he thought, trying to catch his breath from the short, but frantic run. "Why are you… lying there…" he managed, "I was… I thought you…"

"I am watching something…" she said quietly.

He paused, finally feeling his breath coming easier, and took a closer look at how she was positioned. The top of her head was nearly touching the wall, and her cheek was pressed against the floor. Her eyes were fixed on something down the hallway, and her arms were curled under her chest, as if offering support.

"What?" he asked, trying to figure out what she was staring at.

Her left arm slowly unfurled, stretching out to point down the hall. "There…" she said softly, never looking away, "it is… there…"

Shinji squinted. "I don't see-"

"Do not speak…" she said, cutting him off.

He blinked. It was possibly the only time he could remember the pale girl interrupting someone. After a moment of silence, her other hand reached back, groping blindly until it found his shirt.

He gasped in surprise as she gently, but insistently tugged him down closer to the ground.

"There…" she whispered softly, still pointing, "past the third door… next to the ventilation shaft…"

He looked. "I don't see…" he trailed off as his eyes focussed on the spot she indicated. "What is that…?" he breathed.

"I do not know…" she admitted, "but I have seen it before… other places… other rooms… always in this building…"

Shinji wasn't exactly sure what it was he was seeing… but if he had been asked to describe it just then, he would have said it reminded him of the heat haze that rises off the street on an overly-warm day.

Only it was moving. Dancing around in midair like a bit of lint caught in an updraft. Even as they sat there, it seemed to lazily flit from point to point, reminding Shinji of someone he had seen in a grocery store once, indecisively trying to decide between the low-fat cookies on one side of the aisle… and the regular ones on the other.

He vaguely recalled that the man had chosen the full-fat variety.

"Should we tell someone about it?" Shinji asked, keeping his voice low.

Rei tucked her arms back under her chest. "No," she replied calmly.

They watched it in silence for a full five minutes. Then Shinji blinked – and it was gone.

"What happened?" he breathed.

"I do not know," Rei answered, rising to her feet with methodical care.

Shinji remained near the ground for a while, pondering the situation, then looked up at the red-eyed girl. "Thank you…" he said with a small smile.

"For what?" she asked absently, turning to look down at him.

"Sharing this with me…" he replied, blushing slightly.

Rei stared at him blankly for a moment. "Why are you here?" she asked finally, apparently deciding that his thanks were unwarranted, and moving on to the next topic of discussion.

"I… ummm…" Shinji stammered for a minute, "papers!" he exclaimed, rising to his knees and thrusting them at her, "I brought the day's notes for you."

"I see," she said, taking the notes.

Shinji could tell by the look on her face that the notes meant about as much to her as a crack in the sidewalk meant to him… possibly less, since he would avoid the crack for fear of tripping.

"Goodbye," she said quietly, opening the door to her apartment and disappearing within before he could reply.

"Bye…" he said belatedly.

Sighing, he stood up and turned away from her closed door… but paused, taking one last look down the hall to where the mysterious 'spot' had been.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked away… missing the fact that the apparition had reappeared, dancing from here to there, seemingly at random, until he turned the corner… and then promptly vanishing once more.

**

"You know Shinji," Misato Katsuragi pointed out with a wink, "that's the fourth time you've mentioned Rei's name in the last hour…"

"It is?" Shinji said rather sickly.

The three residents of the small apartment were just finishing up a late lunch and enjoying a bit of small talk when the topic came up.

"Yup," Misato confirmed, taking a drink of her beer before adding with a grin, "why don't you just go over there if you want to see her?"

"I don't!" Shinji protested, "Well, not that I don't want to see her, but I don't want to see her like _that_ – not that I'd mind! I just…" he trailed off, blushing bright red as Misato laughed.

"It's not fair to attack defenseless prey, Misato," Asuka said dryly, "you know the Third Child isn't capable of defending himself in a battle of wits – and any moron can see he's got a thing for Wondergirl."

"I-I don't…" Shinji sputtered.

"Ok," Asuka said absently, "then I'll just take these sync-test results over to her, and-"

"No!" Shinji said, a bit too quickly, dropping his eyes to the table as Asuka smiled triumphantly.

"Dooooooooooorrrrk!!" the redhead hummed, shaking her head and pushing the papers across the table, "You're pathetic…"

"Why don't you both go?" Misato said sweetly.

"What??" Asuka protested, "Why should _I_ have to go to that doll's house and watch idiot-child here stare at her floor??"

"Why Asuka," Misato said, her eyes wide, "I thought you would want to spend time with your boyfr-"

"Don't even say it," the Second Child grated, pushing back from the table, "come on, doofus, let's get this over with…"

Shinji (knowing who 'doofus' was) rose to his feet. "We'll be back soon," he promised his guardian, flushing as Asuka's blue eyes bore into his.

Misato smiled as the two Children left, choosing not to comment on the redhead's small smile. –Right, Asuka,- she thought, amused, -you can't _stand_ him…-

On the street, Shinji said, "I can go alone, Asuka… you don't have to go with me if you don't want too…"

"Oh sure!" the Second Child muttered, "you'd like that, wouldn't you? Some alone time with the First… pervert…"

"It's not like that!" Shinji protested, "I just…" he trailed off. –I just want to see if I can see… _that_ again…- he thought.

Since that first time, Shinji had come up with several rather inventive reasons to go to Rei's apartment – and once he had even just gone there alone, unable to resist the lure of seeing the floating object again.

When he had asked Rei about it, she had simply told him that she had seen it from time to time in the halls of the apartment, sometimes by the stairs, sometimes by the air vent… but always dancing and moving – always listless and in motion.

'What do you think it is?' Shinji had asked her, 'A… ghost, or something?'

'I do not believe in such things,' Rei had replied calmly, 'I do not know what it is…' she had turned her head, surprising him by admitting, 'but it is very interesting…'

In the three weeks since his first 'sighting' he had been back to Rei's apartment building ten times… though he had only seen the odd apparition twice more – once for no more than a second when he reached Rei's floor, and once for a solid minute in the stairs.

And both times, he could actually feel himself growing more curious.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Shinji asked as they reached the door to Rei's building and stepped inside.

He wasn't sure why, but broaching the subject before they got to Rei's floor seemed suddenly very important to him.

Asuka shrugged. "I dunno," she replied airily, pausing to glare at the inoperative elevator and muttering, 'figures,' before going on, "I guess so – I mean, we're fighting _angels_ right? Why can't there be ghosts?"

"Do you think they can… hurt you?" the Third Child wondered.

"Well, my grandma always said you should whisper if you think there are ghosts around," Asuka said, her voice not lowering even the slightest bit, "she said, 'that way, you won't wake them up'. So I guess _she_ thought they could." She shook her head, "Stupid, huh?"

Shinji nodded slowly, thinking that it didn't sound all that stupid to him – not after the things he'd seen in that building.

"Why are you suddenly curious?" the redhead inquired, grinning broadly, "Guilty conscience? Afraid someone you 'bumped off' might come back to haunt you?"

"N-no!" Shinji gasped, "I've never done anything like that!"

"I swear," Asuka sighed as they reached the third floor, "you're so boring sometimes, I think that…" she trailed off suddenly, staring straight ahead for a moment before shaking her head and continuing up the stairs.

"Something wrong?" Shinji asked, looking in the direction that she had been staring, "Did you see something?"

"No," Asuka said absently.

The Third Child sighed, disappointed.

As they finally reached their destination, Shinji cast Asuka a sidelong glance. "You sure you're ok?" he asked, almost timidly, "You're awfully quiet…"

"I'm fine," Asuka said with a shrug, "just don't feel like talking."

Shinji nodded. –Maybe the ghost thing creeped her out,- he thought, feeling that his assessment was off. He wasn't at all convinced that Asuka would be scared by the thought of ghosts. –Maybe she's thinking about someone that died…- he thought suddenly, -maybe I shouldn't talk about it anymore…-

Rei answered after four knocks, looking entirely un-surprised to see them.

Her expression changed, however, when Asuka smiled. "Nice to see you," she said politely.

As Rei's eyes widened, Shinji simply stared at Asuka, open-mouthed.

The redhead blinked, looking from one to the other. "Well, I've got something I have to do," she said calmly, "you two take it easy, ok?"

Shinji and Rei watched in silence as Asuka moved off down the hallway.

"Is she… humming?" Shinji whispered.

"Yes," Rei replied quietly, tilting her head to the side. After a moment, she stepped out of her apartment. "Something does not seem right…" she observed as Asuka disappeared through the door to the stairs, "I believe we should follow her…"

Shinji nodded, scratching his head at his coworker's odd behavior. "Yeah," he said quietly, "I think you're right…"

Together, they hurried stealthily to the door and slipped out, pursuing the redhead as carefully as they could.

**

The manager of Into the Grounds looked up from his paperwork with a frown. "Is there something I can do for you, miss? We're closing up in a few minutes…"

The young redhead that was standing in the doorway nodded, her face a calm, collected mask. "I know," she replied, stepping into his office, "I just said goodnight to Motoko and Mitsune… there's no one here but me and you…"

The man blinked as the young woman stared him down. "Well… then what can I… good God!"

He gasped as the redhead brought her hands out from behind her back, revealing the Smith and Wesson .45 that was usually stashed under the counter as a security measure. Tokyo-3 was generally a safe town, but it was still a _big_ town… and any big town has its share of crime.

"Take the money," the man stammered, going pale, "just please don't hurt me…"

"It's not money I want," the young woman replied levelly, crossing the room to press the pistol against the center of his forehead, "I want something that you took from me…"

"I don't even know who you are," the manager moaned, "please… I'll do whatever you want…"

"Then stop sniveling and die," the girl said softly, bringing her other hand up to steady the weapon.

"A-Asuka…?"

The redhead tensed, but did not take her eyes off of the focus of her attention. "Don't interfere," she said softly, "he deserves this…"

"Why are you doing this?" Shinji asked, he voice sounding incredibly confused as stepped further into the small office.

They had followed Asuka halfway across Tokyo-3, to a small, middle-class-looking coffee bar. There, they had watched her casually greet the two remaining employees, not noticing her two followers as they hid behind the edge of the counter.

As the two women had left (after being assured by Asuka that she was a relative of the manager, providing several bits of personal information to back it up) they had watched her lock the door… and reach over the counter to draw a small, black handgun from behind it. Chambering a round, she had concealed the weapon behind her back, then opened the door to the manager's office.

"She is not herself, Ikari…" Rei's voice said softly.

Asuka turned her head, oddly smiling as the First Child stepped into the room. "It's nice to finally get to talk to you," she whispered, "though I wish it could have been under better circumstances…"

Rei studied the redhead closely. "Who are you?" she asked quietly.

"My name is Sarah," the redhead replied, stepping around the man's desk, but keeping the gun flush up against his head, "I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused… I'm almost finished with what I have to do, then I'll be going…"

"Don't!" Shinji said quickly, "Please?"

The redhead's lips turned down in a small frown. "He deserves this," she repeated, running her thumb almost absently over the drawn hammer of the gun, "for what he's done."

Rei took a step forward. "Why do you not tell us about it?" she asked softly.

Shinji nodded emphatically. "Yeah," he said quickly, "at least tell us why you're doing this…"

The girl hesitated, then nodded. "Ok," she said quietly, "I'll tell you…"

__

She's tired. It's been a long day at work, and all she wants is to go home to her apartment, number 702, and go to sleep.

Her name is Sarah… and this is the last day of her life.

She has been working at the coffee shop for only two weeks, and already she can see why her predecessor quit. The work is hard, the pay is only so-so, and just in that one day, her bottom has been pinched more than in all of her twenty six years.

But it's a job… and it pays the rent.

"At least it's better than the diner," she whispers to herself, fishing her keys out of her purse as she finishes the long walk up the stairs.

The apartment building is all but deserted, and she's fairly confident that the strange girl with blue hair on the fourth floor is the only other person who lives there.

She thinks that maybe she should drop in and say hi sometime. Since she's still new in town, she has not made any friends yet – and even the company of a junior-high student is better than nothing.

She is just deciding that she will stop in tomorrow, and sliding the key into the lock, when she feels an arm slip around her waist… and feels cold steel press against her throat.

"Scream if you like," a voice whispers in her ear, "this place is empty… no one will hear you."

Fear floods through her in the blink of an eye, and she struggles, trying her best to break free.

"Uh-uh," the voice says, almost amused, "that's not very nice."

Abruptly, her forehead is slammed into her door, dazing her. She is vaguely aware of the hand around her waist reaching out and turning the knob, then she is hustled into the small apartment.

Regaining some of her wits, she manages to ask, "What are you going to do with me?"

There is a long pause, during which the man's (she can tell now that it is a man by his strong arms and harsh, deep voice) breathing is the only sound. Then the man laughs.

"You'll find out so very soon…"

"Please don't… don't rape me…" she begs, trembling in his grasp.

"I won't…" he promises soothingly.

For the briefest of moments, she allows herself to believe that this is a simple robbery… that all he wants is her money.

Then he slowly pulls the knife away from her throat… and plunges it into her chest.

Her eyes widen, and her back arches as pain blossoms in her breast, growing until it is all-encompassing as the sharp metal drives deeply into her.

"There," the man says almost casually, "now it's not a secret anymore…"

Sarah can only gasp as the weapon is tugged from her chest, and her legs collapse under her, suddenly too weak to support her. "W-Why?" she sobs, clutching her chest with both hands… desperately trying to stop the flow of deep scarlet welling up between her fingers.

The man steps around her, kneeling down until he's at eye level with her… and smiles.

"T-Tetsuo?" she manages, feeling reality starting to slide out of her grasp, "Why?" she asks again, feeling her eyes growing heavy, "Why are you… doing this to me…?"

Her manager smiles almost indulgently. "You really want to know why, Sarah?" he asks, reaching out to run a hand almost lovingly over her cheek, "Do you really?"

Sarah can feel her arms and legs growing cold… and every time she blinks, it's a struggle to reopen her eyes, but she manages to nod.

Tetsuo's fingers lightly trace her lips, painting them with the blood that is oozing between them. "I don't have a reason," he said with a soft, twisted smile, "isn't that something? I just… wanted to."

Sarah's lips tremble, and she fights to speak. 'That's it?' she tries to say, 'My life is just… worthless? I have to die just because you felt like it?' She can't force the words to come… her body is too weak.

"Sleep…" Tetsuo whispers, cooing to her soothingly… like a father comforting his child, "close your eyes and sleep now…"

A weak sob slips past Sarah's lips, and she can feel tears running down her cheeks. Faintly, she can hear her manager humming a soft lullaby… smiling softly as her heart finally slows… and stops.

"That's… horrible…" Shinji managed, fighting the urge to vomit.

"I didn't deserve what happened to me," Sarah said quietly, "and it's time for him to pay." Suddenly, her face crumpled, "Do you know… he left me there?" Her voice trembled as she clarified, "I'm still there… still lying on my floor, still wearing my apron…" her voice cracked entirely, "I still have my… my tips in my pocket…"

Tetsuo flinched as the gun was pressed against his temple. "I'm sorry," he whimpered, "I… I couldn't help it. Please… I just couldn't help it…"

"I don't care," Sarah said, her voice hollow, "you still did it… you took everything I had, and everything I ever _could_ have… and you smiled, you sick _fuck_!"

"What is your last name?" Rei asked quietly.

"What?" Sarah said, confused as she looked at the red-eyed girl.

"Your last name," the blue-haired girl repeated, meeting the blue eyes of the possessed Second Child levelly.

"Why do you want to know?" the woman inquired, her vengeance momentarily sidetracked.

"I need the information for two reasons," Rei said softly, "first… I will need to try and convince the authorities that it was not Pilot Souryu that committed murder." Sarah flushed and looked at the gun in her hand as the First Child continued, "And second… I will need it for having your body interred."

"You… want to bury me?" Sarah asked, confused.

"Yes," Rei replied plainly, "it is not proper to allow your body to go untended…"

"And it's wrong not to have a funeral service…" Shinji added, still feeling sick, "everyone deserves that…"

"You would do that for me?" Sarah asked, looking from one Child to the other almost suspiciously. 

Shinji took a hesitant step towards her. "Yes," he said quietly, "but Sarah… please don't do this, ok?"

Sarah's eyes instantly narrowed, and she pressed the gun deeper into the simpering man's flesh. "You're trying to trick me!" she shot back, "I-"

"Sarah," Rei's quiet voice interrupted her, "I would like to ask something." The redhead turned her attention to the First as she met her gaze steadily, "Did you also try to take possession of my body?"

The redhead's cheeks flushed. "Yes," she admitted, "I did… but I couldn't. Something stopped me… and don't worry," she assured them, "your friend is still 'here' she's just… sleeping. She won't remember any of this."

"Why not me, then?" Shinji asked suddenly, "I saw you in the halls with Ayanami, why not take my body?"

Slowly, Sarah smiled. "I didn't think I could…" she said ruefully, "you're a boy."

Shinji took another tentative step closer, spreading his arms wide, showing that he was not trying to hurt her. "Try now," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "if you have to kill him… do it with my body." He bowed his head, "I'll take the punishment," he whispered, "don't make Asuka suffer for your personal hatred…"

Sarah stared at him, amazed. "You would do that for her?" she asked incredulously, "Why? She's not your girlfriend – hell, from what I saw, she doesn't even like you that much."

Shinji blushed. "It doesn't matter what she thinks of me," he said softly, "or what I think of her. What matters is that she's going to go to jail for what you're going to do, and that's not right. We won't be able to convince anyone that a ghost killed him – so she's going to prison… and she'll never know why."

Sarah considered this, sensing that there was more to the boy's feelings than he was letting on. Before she could answer, Rei spoke again.

"You said he touched your body, correct?" the blue-haired girl clarified. When Sarah nodded, Rei asked, "He was not wearing any sort of glove, was he?"

"No," Sarah replied, "he touched me with his bare…" she trailed off.

"There is no need for any more death…" Rei said softly, meeting the other girl's eyes.

Sarah stared at the First Child for a minute, then shook her head. "He needs to pay for what he did to me," she whispered, her voice trembling, "I can't wait anymore."

"Do not," Rei said firmly, "it is not necessary."

"Please?" Sarah whispered, Asuka's body shaking with pent-up frustration, "I need to know it's going to end…"

"I will make sure that it does," the blue-haired girl assured her, "this will not go unpunished." She turned to Shinji, "Call Major Katsuragi," she said quietly.

Shinji hesitated, then pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed his guardian.

"I can't leave until I know for sure," Sarah said quietly, her voice now level, "you understand that, don't you?"

Rei nodded as Shinji outlined what was happening (a man had attacked them and was being held by Asuka, who had happened to find the man's gun) and gave Misato their location. 

"I believe Souryu would have felt as you do," the blue-haired girl said softly, "you seem much like her…"

"I wasn't," Sarah said gently, "I was really quiet, and shy…" she smiled, "like you…"

Rei tilted her head to the side. "I will see that he is brought to justice," she said plainly, "and that your body is properly seen to. Is this acceptable?"

Sarah nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving Rei's. "It's Peterson," she whispered, uncocking the gun (though keeping it in place), "my name was Sarah Peterson…"

"It is nice to meet you, Sarah Peterson," Rei whispered.

They waited in silence for Misato to arrive, the pathetic whimpering of Tetsuo Brea the only sound passing between them.

**

The funeral was held three days later, and the trial was seven days after that. In light of the overwhelming evidence against him, and his lack of any motivation for, or real regret about, the killing, Tetsuo was found to be mentally incompetent, and was committed to an institution for the criminally insane.

Two days after the trial, Shinji found himself at Rei's apartment, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "Ayanami?" he asked as she opened the door, "will you… come with me?"

The First Child nodded… and together they began walking.

"She does not remember anything?" Rei asked after Shinji updated her on Asuka's condition.

"No," The Third Child said, shaking his head as they climbed the stairs, "and I don't think she really buys the 'You hit your head and passed out,' explanation, either…"

"Major Katsuragi said it would be best," the blue-haired girl pointed out, "and it was difficult to convince her of the truth, also…"

Shinji grimaced, and they lapsed into silence.

It was indeed difficult to convince the purple-haired woman that the redhead in front of her was not her charge, but rather the body of her charge… being controlled by the spirit of a twenty-six year old, murdered waitress.

It had taken Sarah talking about what she remembered of her hometown before Second Impact to convince Misato of the truth.

They finally reached their destination.

"I wish I had gotten to know her…" Shinji said quietly, looking at the yellow police tape sadly, "she seemed really nice…"

Rei said nothing as Shinji knelt, laying the flowers in front of the closed door.

In his mind's eye, the brown-haired boy could picture what was on the other side. The clean, almost immaculate apartment, kept up by the shy, tidy young woman who had only had three dates in her life (a detail they had discovered while waiting for Misato to arrive). He could almost smell the perfume he imagined she would use. Something understated and light… maybe with a hint of roses or lilacs.

And he could picture the entranceway, a bloody handprint on the wall, marking where the woman had fallen against it… and a dark, maroon stain on the carpet, marking where she had breathed her last…

"Ikari…" Rei whispered, breaking him from his reverie, "come. We have a sync test."

"Yeah," Shinji replied, keeping his voice low. He rose to his feet, turning away from the door and following Rei down the hall towards the stairway.

He paused as the blue-haired girl opened the door, and turned around for one last look. 

"Ayanami…" he breathed.

Rei turned back, her eyes widening slightly at the sight she beheld.

For the briefest of instants, both Children could see a tall, brown-haired woman, keeling in front of apartment 702, her hand gently running over the flowers. The apparition raised its head, meeting their gazes one at a time, then smiled… and the hall was again empty.

"Come on…" Shinji whispered, remembering Asuka's words, "let's let her sleep… she deserves that…"

Rei nodded, and they made their way silently down the stairs…

The End

Author's notes: why Asuka? Well, I've seen a lot of stories where Rei is possessed/vampiric/evil/whatever… I just figured it would be interesting to see everyone's reaction to a possessed Asuka. Sarah's line about taking everything is actually from a movie called Unforgiven (Best Picture, 1995, I believe), with Clint Eastwood. One of Clint's lines goes, "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away everything he has… and everything he ever will have." I might have the line a _little_ off – it's been a few years since I watched it… but it's very close to that. I briefly considered having Tetsuo try and break free, and have one of the Children be forced to kill him. It felt good writing it – soothed my sense of justice – but I decided against it because it came off as a bit too cliched. 

Thanks to Ryoma for pre-reading and catching several mistakes – and making some good suggestions, too! You rule! ^_^

Feedback is always welcome at random1377@yahoo.com


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